


Under the Mask (Cryaotic)

by BigDogKaiba



Category: ChaoticMonki, Real Person Fiction, cryaotic, youtube - Fandom
Genre: Fanfic, Fanfiction, Friendship, OC, Other, Romance, Suspense, Trans Male Character, Transgender
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-23
Updated: 2018-11-04
Packaged: 2019-07-16 04:03:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 8,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16078010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BigDogKaiba/pseuds/BigDogKaiba
Summary: CW: Mild swearingAdrien Marion is a 23 year old Let's Player. His life dream is to meet his favorite LPer, Cryatic. As he grows in popularity, he takes a shot at talking to Cry. As a surprise, Cry accepts his request, and the two hit it off! They grow closer as friends and eventually agree to meet up in person. But when things get messy the day of their meet-up, Cry comes close to learning the only thing about Adrien that he keeps secret. Losing his apartment and his job, Cry offers to take him in and help him back on his feet. But when Adrien moves in, things start to get weird, and his secret is now on the line!





	1. Chapter One

"Ah! Fuck!"

The sound of his screaming echoed off of the semi-barren walls of the little apartment. The small screen of the HP laptop glowed dimly in the dark room, the typical Game Over screen reflected back at its player. The player, an average-built boy, sat back in his wheeled seat, a look of terror etched into his face. His hand was placed over his chest, the feeling of his rapid heartbeat seemed to vibrate against his very being. It was quiet. The soft sound of the game was the only thing that broke the silence, save for the occasional gasp of breath.

"God... Dammit."

Slowly, he leaned forward, placing his hand back on the mouse. He took a deep breath, hovering his cursor over the continue button, hesitating. Did he want to continue? He felt like he had done enough. But did he have enough content to give his viewers?

That's right. Our protagonist is a newly-starting Let's Player on YouTube, known by the name of Shaze. He was a huge fan of the more popular LP's, but let's face it, who's not? They were what inspired him to pick up the pastime, anyways! Of course, his idols were the top YouTubers, but that's no surprise. His biggest fan-crush and most watched YouTuber of all time? His number one reason he picked up this hobby? You guessed it.

Cryaotic.

"Well... That's it for today." His voice sounded tired, but he didn't do much to cover it up. Those jumpscares, man! They can get to you. "I'm wrapping things up here. Shaze, out."

He hit the stop button on his recording program, waiting for it to register before finally sliding down in his seat with a sigh. What a night this was. He glanced back at the clock that sat neatly next to his bed, noticing that it was almost morning. Well, it might as well be morning. 4am isn't too bad of a stopping time, right?

Who needs sleep anyways.

Taking another glance back at his laptop, he gave a mental shrug to himself and gently closed the lid. He slid his gaming headphones off and laid them on top, pushing himself back. The sound of plastic against plastic resonated through the room for a brief moment before all became quiet again. Who were we being quiet for? Nobody else lived here.

Just little ol' Adrien.

The exhausted Let's Player turned and made a beeline right for his bed, not even bothering to change or get under the covers. It wouldn't be long before he was pretty much out cold, the sounds of waking birds just starting to fill the outside with their song.


	2. Chapter Two

It was hours later before Adrien finally woke back up. With a short groan, he lifted his head to glance at the clock beside of him. 2 o'clock. Most of the day was gone... again. Good thing it was the weekend! That meant more time to play. Though, gaming wasn't the first thing on Adrien's mind that morning.

Food was.

Sliding out of bed, he made his way down the stairs and into the kitchen. His apartment wasn't anything fancy, a small one story building that was just enough space for one person. Seeing as he only held a part-time job, he couldn't really afford much and often lived on a week-to-week check basis. Saying so, the poor boy opened his mostly empty fridge to... well, not much. Some condiments, lunch meat, some veggies.

Eyeing the food in the fridge, Adrien took a moment to weigh his options. Would he go without food again? His stomach rumbling again answered his question as he reached in for his usual turkey sandwich. Soon he had a delighted smile on his face, munching on the sandwich as he went to check the mail.

Adrien slipped on a pair of fuzzy blue slippers before stepping into the brisk air. It was the beginning of autumn, so things were starting to cool down. He didn't mind; in fact, he loved it. He was always a sucker for colder weather. It meant sweaters and flannels and jeans 24/7. Plus, the color change of the trees were always mesmerizing to him.

He had finished his sandwich by the time he reached his mailbox. Things were set up differently here; his apartment could almost be taken for a house, if you factored out the leasing office that sat a few buildings down. Regardless, it was quiet and small, just the way he liked it. Being in his early 20's, he didn't really need much. Just enough for himself to survive.

Pulling the door on the mailbox open, Adrien peered inside. At first glance, it just looked like a bunch of bills. Of course, upon closer inspection, they turned out to be just that. A boy like him with only a diploma from his home state's high school couldn't do much in the society he lived in, so he did what he could to scrape by. He's had quite a few close calls with losing his apartment, but luckily his landlord is a bit more understandable than most.

With a look of something that resembled sadness, he made his trek back inside. He'd have to take a closer look at these later, see what he can come up with. Hopefully he had enough scattered around the house to cover everything! But for now, it was game time. Adrien practically bounced inside at the thought, tossing the stack of bills on the coffee table and sprinting to his room.

Practically throwing himself in the white pleather chair, he spun around and snatched his gaming headphones off of the desk. He was itching to get more videos for different games done today, but first he'd continue with Amnesia. That was his most popular game, after all! Adrien opened up his laptop, waiting on it to load and go through its normal processing phases.

He was going to check his notifications first, seeing if there were any special requests or any DMs to check on. Nothing seemed to pop out at him, so he brought up his recording program and game. Getting his normal screen set-up going, he hesitantly hovered over the webcam option. Blue-speckled hazel eyes flickered nervously over to the tiny webcam ball sitting on the shelf next to his desk. He always had viewers who wanted to see what he looked like, as he normally never put videos or pictures of himself up online.

He had his reasons. He was sticking to them.

Shaking his head lightly, he turned back to the laptop screen. Everything was ready for his next adventure into the dark mansion, so he yanked his headphones on and hit the start. At the sound of the ding, he grinned lopsidedly, letting his head fall to the side.

"Hey you guys!" He said, dragging out his intro like normal. "Are you ready for another round of Amnesia? 'Cause I'm not!"

He chuckled lightly at his own joke, giving a replay of what happened over the last video before diving two feet first into the game. What seemed like hours went by before Adrien came to a good stopping point. It was a bit of a cliffhanger for both him and his viewers, and it only made him itch to continue, but he held back, wanting to make sure he had plenty of content for his viewers.

"Alright guys. I think I'm going to end it here this time." He scratched the back of his head, glancing behind him at the time. It was close to 5 o'clock, so a lot better than yesterday. Regardless, his body was demanding more sleep. Every time he thought he finally got his sleep schedule under control, something causes him to go and mess it all up again.

That something was usually video games... Go figure.

"Stay tuned for more Amnesia! And many more games to come! Shaze, out." Adrien hit the stop button, once again waiting for it to finally register. The laptop he used now was pretty awful, granted he got it for super cheap. But, it did the job, and that's about all he needed right now.

Deciding he would spend the first few hours of his next day editing the video, he shut everything down and pretty much rolled into bed. He didn't bother changing out of his clothes... again. It's not like it really mattered, he didn't ever go anywhere on the weekends. Soon, the tuckered out boy was fast asleep, being sucked into a world of dreams.


	3. Chapter Three

The sound of waves could be heard for miles if one listened well enough. The sun shone across the deep blue ocean waters, creating a dazzling line down the middle that was almost too bright to look at without sunglasses. The soft sand beneath Adrien's feet wiggled its way between his toes, something that he'd have to dig out at a later time.

That was the best thing about living where he was; the beach was always a short walk away. He came here to relax, to try and clear his mind from the day's stessors. No matter his reason, something always seemed to lure him towards this same spot. Once again, Adrien found himself staring aimlessly out at where the sky met the water. His hands were tucked into the pockets of his board shorts, shoulders slumped forward from the weight of his thoughts.

Something was always bothering him, even if practically nothing bad had happened recently. That was one of his biggest flaws. It was something he was trying to deal with, but some days it got hard. Subconsciously, he lifted a hand to rub across his stomach and sides. Even if it did get really hard, he was still fighting. Still kicking.

The sun was finally starting to set behind the now-purple waters. Clouds were starting to roll in, dipped in the same purple-pink hues. The inhabitants of the beach were packing up and leaving, yet Adrien only lifted his gaze to the sky. Oh, how he longed to be anywhere but where he was. He wished to be as free as a bird, no burdens or responsibilities like the human race. Things were awful, to say the least.

It was another half hour or so before Adrien finally decided to pick himself up and leave. The rangers that patrolled the shores after dark would be arriving soon, and he definitely didn't want another scuffle with them. This was his happy place, and he sure as hell wasn't losing that. Snatching his tennis shoes from beside him, he started his trek back home. It was about time he started recording for his video anyways.

Arriving home, Adrien unlocked his door and stepped inside, discarding his shoes by the entrance. He didn't bother to clean up the sand he left behind, instead dragging himself to his room. By now it was well past 7 o'clock, and his body was hating him for his unsteady sleep schedule and lack of food. On his days off, he either slept all day or played as many video games as he could. Now, normally one would mention getting a second job, a more productive hobby, etc. But not this guy. He had his routine, and he stuck to it.

On that thought, he slipped into his room and went through his normal start-up phase. Recording, game, staring at the webcam in a fear-like trance... you know. Adrien continued on with Amnesia, determined to finish the game before anything major took over. He had recorded almost two hours worth of video this time, and feeling this sudden urge to keep going, he decided to channel that into editing. He had just started the program when his phone dinged from where it laid on the desk.

Adrien's gaze flickered over, landing on the softly glowing screen. From first glance, it looked like a Skype notification, although he was confused as to why. Normally he didn't use it, as all of his friends communicated through a different app. He reached over, tapping the notification bubble so it would open up. Momentarily returning his attention to his laptop, he fiddled with some of the settings as the phone app booted up. When it finished, Adrien reached over once more, bringing to phone closer to him to see what was going on. A friend request had appeared across the screen, and the name caused him to almost drop his phone.

_Cryaotic._


	4. Chapter Four

Adrien awakens with a jolt, staring up at the partially-illuminated ceiling. It was still pretty dark, considering most things, but he could tell from the slivers of light that the sun was just starting to rise. Things were hazy for the first few minutes or so, until he shot up into a sitting position.

_What the hell did he just dream?_

An almost frantic-like state overcame him as he felt around his bed for his phone. He could barely remember any of the previous night’s events, and his dream was becoming hazier with every passing minute. In the midst of his scrambling, he failed to notice his blankets becoming a cocoon around his legs, until he went to take a step out of bed and…

Boom.

He hit the ground with a loud thud, scraping his chin against the carpet and grinding his teeth together. A low groan rumbled through his chest, his body rendered useless until the pain subsided. Rolling onto his back, he slid the rest of the way onto the floor and unraveled himself from the blanket prison.

“What a wake up call…” Adrien muttered to himself, finding himself staring at the ceiling again. What was he even doing in the first place? Unfortunately for him, his dream had up and fled during his tussle with his bed. At this point, he wasn’t even sure what had him all riled up, but he felt like it was important.

Minutes ticked by before his eyes widened in surprise. He dreamed about Cry! The boy scrambled to his feet, once more looking around for his phone. There it sat, quiet and dark on the desk where he had left it. Picking it up like it was a fragile animal, he clicked the power button. The screen lit up, but much to his dismay, it had no notifications from Cry.

Adrien’s shoulders slumped forward, disappointment settling in. Was he expecting a message from the oh-so-famous Let’s Player? No, but some part of him had hoped it wasn’t just a dream. He stepped backwards, allowing himself to partially collapse on the bed. Maybe… just maybe… he’d have the courage to send Cry a message this time?

His heart pounded in his chest, threatening to burst at any moment. His fingers hovered over the YouTube app on his phone, frazzled gaze staring down at it. He clicked the app, watching as his screen went from a dulled pastel background to a bright white loading screen. A few more clicks and he was staring at Cry’s YouTube name, the message box empty and almost foreboding.

Taking a shaky breath, Adrien typed out a short and simple message. He didn’t say much, just a simple hello and wishes of good things. At least, that’s what he saw them as. His eyes scanned over his message over and over again, replaying the words through his head as if he was saying it right to Cry himself.

_‘Hello Cry,_

_My name’s Adrien, and I’ve been a big fan of yours for quite a few years. It’s always been a dream of mine to meet you in person, or even just talk and play games with you. I know you’re busy with life and recording videos for your fans, so you don’t need to respond to this. I just wanted to say hello, and hopefully have a conversation with you one day._

_Keep doing what you do, Cry. You make a lot of lives better by just being you._

_Adrien.'_

His hands started to tremble as he fought every urge that was screaming to turn back. With a short, shaky breath, Adrien hit the send button, watching as the app registered and then showed a sent message. He dropped his phone, staring down at it like it was a demon dog.

What had he just done.

By now, the sun was fully over the horizon, which meant that he had been up for some time. Normally he’d stay inside and record on days like this, but he needed out. His flight instincts were in overdrive, and he could feel the walls closing in on him. He got up and got changed into some jogging clothes, snatching his old iPod and headphones from his desk drawer. His phone, however, remained where it sat on the floor.

Adrien left his apartment, locking the door behind him and headed down his drive. He had no car, mainly because he couldn’t afford it, but that didn’t really bother him much. He’d much rather be without one; he didn’t mind walking or running here and there.

He started his run at a jog, letting his feet take him wherever. He’d lived in this community for quite some time now, so no matter where he went, he could always find home. It wasn’t long before he had wound up on the beach. How did he always manage to get here, even with no intentions of it? Adrien stood by the entrance, staring out at the waters. It was alluring to him, the thought of unexplored depths and uncharted lands.

He always lost time here, and before he knew it, hours had gone by. He had drifted closer to the water, standing in the same old spot as he usually did. His music was playing softly in his ears as he stared out at the horizon. Despite being in a peaceful place, his thoughts raged like a wild bear, threatening to tear and kill anything in their path. His dream had come full circle, and the image of his message rode in on its back.

Adrien shook his head slightly, snapping himself out of the trance he was in. He needed to go home. He had planned on finished Amnesia today, but that definitely wasn’t going to happen now. With a stifled sigh, he made his way back home, a bit slower than he normally did.

He just hoped there wasn’t anything bad waiting for him.


	5. Chapter Five

Arriving home, Adrien slid inside quietly. He never knew why he treaded so lightly around his own home. He  _ was _ the only one living there, but a part of him always felt like one wrong move and everything would turn out to be a dream. As he passed the kitchen, he slowed down long enough to debate on making food or not. He didn’t feel hungry, and something just kept pulling him back towards his room. Deciding to forego dinner that night, Adrien made his way to his bedroom.

He entered his room, briefly staring down his phone that remained on the floor. Images of his message flash through his head, forcing a sort of fear-like state to overcome him. Did he want to check his messages? There was a very slim chance that Cry had even  _ seen _ his message, but that chance was still big enough to Adrien. It could change his life, for worse or for better, who knows. With a sigh, he skipped over picking up his phone and instead went straight to recording.

Adrien couldn’t focus much that night. He was dying left and right and couldn’t complete enough to give a good video for his viewers. For whatever reason, his mind kept going back to his message and kept making up different scenarios. Normally he could control his imagination, but tonight was an exception.

Groaning loudly in frustration upon yet another death, Adrien tore his headphones off of his head and shoved them across his desk. They teetered dangerously on the edge before sliding off and falling to the floor. It was about that time when he heard his phone ping. He glanced over his shoulder, seeing the familiar icon of his email. His heart thumped harshly in his chest as he pushed his chair back, reaching over to grab his phone.

He almost didn’t want to check it, but he clicked the power button anyways. Scanning over the short notification on his lockscreen, he could feel a twinge of disappointment come over him. It was just YouTube letting him know that Cryaotic uploaded his preview video for his stream with the LNC. Regardless, Adrien couldn’t help but smile. He always made sure to watch these streams. They could help put him at ease, just by listening to them talk on the video.

Adrien opened the YouTube app, tucking his legs against his body as the video loaded. It was Cry’s normal preview video; explaining what games the LNC was going to play that night and little important details. Left 4 Dead, Attack on Titan, Dungeons & Dragons were the three chosen games. An odd choice, but nonetheless, Adrien was excited. It would be a few hours before the livestream started, and he was debating on taking a nap to try and stay up through the whole thing when his phone pinged again.

It was YouTube - again - but this time it was a DM notification. Adrien’s heart sped up, an anxious feeling overcoming him. Could it… really be? With great reluctance, he opened his inbox and waited for it to load. A few agonizing minutes later, the page finally loaded, giving way to a DM chat with none other than the masked gamer himself!

Adrien almost dropped his phone out of surprise, catching it right before it could fall to the floor.  _ He really responded? _ But why? What made him stand out among the rest? Insecurities and darkening thoughts flew through his mind as he opened the chat, his gaze scanning over the words on the screen.

_ ‘ Hi, Adrien. _

_ Looks like part of your dream came true, didn’t it? It’s nice to see that there’s someone out there who isn’t begging me to show my face or reveal who I am. You’re one of the few who isn’t like that. I suppose you already saw the livestream video, if you’re as big of a fan as you claim to be, huh? Well, I have a preposition for you. You seem like a nice person, Adrien. So how about you join the others and I as a special guest on tonight’s livestream? Maybe, if all goes well tonight, this could carry on into the future. _

_ Cry ‘ _

Adrien could barely contain his excitement, having to take the next few minutes to mentally calm himself down before responding to Cry. Sending back a quick acceptance message, the two briefly chatted about what would happen that night and exchanged Skype names. Friend requests were sent and accepted before they broke off, both needing to prepare for the night’s events. Adrien slid onto his floor, pulling out the Monster drinks he kept hidden away for emergencies.

This was one of them.


	6. Chapter Six

Spending the next few hours gathering the games needed for that night, Adrien flipped repeatedly from worrying about the livestream to drowning himself in random videos on YouTube. It would be a lie to say that he wasn’t nervous about the night to come. In fact, the more he waited, the more he felt the need to back out. His anxiety was skyhigh to the point where even his medicine wasn’t working.

Before he knew it, the time had come upon him. Teetering dangerously on the edge of sleep, Adrien was just a hair shy of passing out when his phone pinged. His eyes shot open as he reached across the bed for his phone. Of course, the Skype notification highlighting his phone alerted him to just how close it was to no longer being a dream.

Rubbing his eyes of the sleepy tears that pooled in the corner of his eyes, Adrien opened the message from the masked man. He had to blink a few times in order to get his vision to fixate on the text, but one he did, a small smile lit up his features.

_ ‘ Hello, Adrien! _

_ Are you ready for the livestream? My friends are ready to meet you. I’ll be sending you a Skype call soon. _

_ Cry ‘ _

Glancing at the time in the corner of his phone, he realized it was super close to 11 o’clock. Practically jolting awake, Adrien shot off the bed and over to his laptop. It had powered down in the time he had waited, so forcing it to boot back up would prove to be a pain. After an antagonizing few minutes, he was ready for the livestream. Skype sat eerily blank against his desktop background, quiet and foreboding. It wasn’t long before the screen went dark, causing Adrien to rattle his mouse in an attempt to get it to respond.

Not long after, Cry’s profile image was staring back at him. It took Adrien half a minute before he finally worked up enough courage to hit the accept button. It was now or never. He was greeted with a series of hellos before Cryaotic spoke.

“Hello, Adrien. Glad you could join us tonight. Are you ready for a night of excitement?” Cry’s voice resonated through the speakers as he plugged in his headset, adjusting the ear cuffs accordingly. It wasn’t until then that he realized he would sound a bit… different to them. Hoping they wouldn’t notice, Adrien scratched the back of his head.

“Uh, thanks. Yeah, I’m always ready.” Wow, that was lame. Adrien mentally face-palmed himself, rolling his eyes at himself. Way to be smooth. Needing something to distract him, he reached over for his already-open Monster, taking a big swig from the can. Things were quiet on the other line before Adrien realized it was way too long. Tapping his headphones lightly, he scrunched his eyebrows together. “Is, uh, everything alright?”

A few more moments of silence before someone in the chat let out an awkward cough. “Everything’s good on this end.”

Soon enough the normal before-stream commentary started up, taking the spotlight off of Adrien for a bit. He let out a quiet sigh, leaning back in his chair. He pulled up his Twitch window, watching as the number of viewers rapidly grew after they started the show. There was a variety of fans - mostly Cry’s - but the others had their own fan-base that mingled within.

A few minutes into the stream, Cry stopped their conversations, giving his typical hello to their viewers. The others chimed in as well, this unsettling feeling nestling in my mind as I remained quiet. Seeing as this was a last minute decision for the group, not one single fan knew of my existence in the stream.

“Tonight is a special stream for you guys!” Russ commented. “Both you and Cry.” The rest of the crew snickered as Cry started to protest. It was then that Adrien realized not a lot of his own viewers knew even his real name. Sending a rushed message to the Skype group, he nervously asked them to proclaim him as Shaze. Luckily, Cry saw it right before introducing him, sending a thumbs up to the chat.

Thank the stars.

“I have invited one of my fans to join the livestream tonight. Some of you might know him, others, probably not.” Adrien rolled his eyes at Cry’s comment. Get it over with, Captain Obvious. “I’d like you guys to give a warm welcome to Shaze!”

There was a bit of excitement Cry’s voice as the chat suddenly exploded with comments. There was a mix of envy and matching excitement as the chat flew by faster and faster. Adrien could see where fans overlapped, recognizing some of his regulars in the chaos. His face started to heat up as he caught glimpses of a few jokes, some based around them wondering if they had ‘a thing’.

Realizing he still hadn’t said anything, Adrien muttered out a quick hello, falling quiet after that. The crew continued their stream as normal, starting up their first game. Of course, he followed suit, but he knew he wouldn’t do very good in this state. He wasn’t sure why he accepted in the first place, but it was worth the shot.

It was about an hour or so into the stream that Cry announced he needed a break. By then, Adrien’s nervousness had melted away and he was pretty much commenting on everything with the others. It was so natural that he even forgot that they were streaming. Russ and Snake both had agreed with Cry, and without a second thought, the break screen was set up and the boys were gone, leaving Adrien and Red in the call alone.

Everything was quiet after that, and Adrien reached for his phone to do something before Red spoke up. “So, Shaze. Tell me about yourself.”

Adrien’s blue-speckled gaze flickered up to the screen, his gaze landing on Red’s icon in the corner of his screen. What was he supposed to say? “Uh… I’m 23, I live by myself. Graduated high school.” He answered the least personal questions, politely declining when it came to revealing more intimate information. Although, upon request, he did send her his address through Skype. She was a fellow gamer and a friend of Cry’s; what was the harm?

“Alright, tough guy. Next question.” There was a hint of a smile playing on her tone, and Adrien instinctively tilted his head like a small puppy. “How did you find Cry’s channel?”

Given the chance to talk about his number one idol, Adrien dove into the story of how he always watched videos on YouTube throughout high school, and during his freshman year, he had stumbled upon his channel with the help of a few friends. He had taken an immediate interest in him and the games he chose, so he kept up with his videos during his free time. He also mentioned how whenever he was feeling sad or felt like he couldn’t laugh anymore, he would always watch his videos and they never failed to cheer him up.

Adrien’s words trailed off as Red laughed softly. “Man, I’ll tell you what. It definitely sounds like you have feelings for him.”

“No- I-” His face grew hot as he went to protest before another voice could beat me to the punch.

“Who does he have feelings for?” Cry’s melodic tone got Adrien’s heart racing.

“N-No one! Red’s just being mean.” Adrien jumped in before anyone else could say something. He added a laugh at the end, to let them know he wasn’t being serious.

No. Red wasn’t being serious. She couldn’t be. Adrien didn’t have feelings for anyone. That was impossible.

“Er… well, okay.” Adrien could hear the curiosity in Cry’s voice, but he did his best to ignore it. Deciding to skip this game, Adrien sat back and watched as they jumped back in, this time playing AOT. The only time Adrien spoke was to make a comment or two, but he mostly kept quiet, Red’s words on his mind. Did he really have feelings for this masked man? Sure, he was always super happy when he watched his videos and whatnot, but what set him apart from Cry’s other viewers?

The crew decided to take another break later in the night, once again setting up the break screen. Adrien excused himself, taking this time to step away from the livestream and head down the hall to his bathroom.

He took a minute or two for himself, staring himself down in the mirror. Even if the possibility of him having feelings for Cry was true, there was no way he’d ever return them. They just met online, and neither one knew anything about the other.  There was no way Cry would - or could - ever love a boy like him. But he couldn’t deny the fact that they clicked even the slightest bit during this livestream.

Figuring he had kept them waiting long enough, Adrien made his way back to his room. He could hear the voices from his headphones as soon as he stepped in, albeit the words were really muffled. Adrien sat back down in his chair, pulling his headphones back on. Nobody seemed to notice, and the topic caught his attention, stopping him from saying anything.

“--I don’t know, you guys. There’s something different about him. He’s not like most fans.” Cry’s voice was the first he heard. Adrien scrunched his face up, wondering what exactly was going on.

“Well, it seems like you made him extremely happy by doing this.” Red chimed in, a well-evident smirk on her tone.

“I hope so.” Cry responded, going quiet after that. I glanced at the Twitch chat that was flying by on the side of the screen. There was one comment about shipping, and the words made Adrien’s eyes widen.

_ “I totally ship Cry and Shaze. Cryaze for life!” _

His heart started pounding dangerously fast in his chest, feeling like he could sink into his chair at any time. He briefly wondered in anybody else had seen it before the chat exploded with comments about Cryaze. Coughing awkwardly, he let the others know that he was back, forcing himself to talk through the nervousness.

“Oh! Welcome back, Adrien.” Russ’s tone was light, helping to ease some of the fear Adrien had. They had waited for him to return before starting the last bit of the stream. Everything was eerily quiet in between comments.

“Thank you.” Adrien said softly, a nauseous feeling settling in his stomach. Something bad was about to happen, he could feel it.

Not even a second later, Snake’s voice floated through his headphones. “What in the world is the chat going crazy about?”

Oh no.

“Cryaze?” Cry said suddenly, coughing a bit, Adrien couldn’t will himself to speak. He was frozen.

“Aw, look. They created a ship for you and Shaze.” Russ teased, receiving a laugh from Red.

“Why would they do that? I don’t feel anything for him.” Cry said quickly, not realizing that would’ve been his worst mistake that night. Adrien let out a squeak in surprise, a sharp pain suddenly going through his chest.

“What was that?” Russ asked after a minute of silence. The others claimed they didn’t know, each one saying it wasn’t them. Tears started to well up in Adrien’s eyes, threatening to spill over.

“Shaze?” Cry’s voice came over the chat quietly as he waited for an answer. When Adrien didn’t respond, the worry in his tone became evident. “Shaze, are you okay?”

“I-I have to go.” He said suddenly, his voice breaking on the last word.

“Shaze, what’s wrong?” Red asked, a shuffling noise coming through the headset.

“Nothing! I just… I d-don’t feel good, is all.” He lied, voice trailing off at the last second. He knew they wouldn’t believe him, but he couldn’t stay any longer. “G-goodnight, guys.”

Shaze, wai-” Adrien clicked the end call button, cutting off Cry’s voice. Everything became quiet as Cry’s words bounced around in his head. He shut his laptop, pulling off his headphones slowly. He crawled into bed, knowing he wouldn’t be able to sleep as his unfinished Monster sat on his desk. Instead, he stared up at his ceiling, finally allowing himself to a silent cry.

His heart was in pieces, and it had no reason to be.


	7. Chapter Seven

Somehow that night, the heartbroken boy had found a way to fall asleep. His cheeks were crusted with dried tear streaks, his hair tousled from his awful slumber the night before. There was a faint sound, something similar to knocking, that echoed through his dreams and his mind, but the exhausted boy ignored it and did his best to get a restful sleep that night.

Later on, Adrien’s eyes slowly opened to the sound of music, letting out a frustrated groan as he turned his eyes towards the source. His phone glowed faintly from where he had left it the night before. He sat up, rubbing his eyes before getting out of bed.

He made his way over to the desk, picking up his phone and staring at the screen. It shone a sky blue, Cry’s profile picture sitting in the middle of screen. Adrien felt his heart skip a beat before the memories of last night flooded his head. Frowning softly, he hit the decline button, setting his phone back down on the desk. He probably shouldn’t be ignoring the masked gamer, but right now he didn’t want to hear anything he had to say.

Instead, he made his way into the kitchen, placing a hand over his stomach as it growled in protest. It’d been almost 24 hours since he last ate, so he figured it was time to do so. Scavenging through his cabinets, he settled for a bowl of cereal and sat down on his couch. He turned on his TV, flipping through the selective channels, practically devouring his food in the process.

An hour later, Adrien’s phone started ringing once more, causing the poor boy to jump. He sent a glare down the hallway, deciding to ignore it. He recognized the Skype call ringtone, and despite the fact that he was much calmer than before, he just wasn’t ready. He remained where he was, settling back down on watching the cartoon he had turned on.

Sometime later, he decided it was time to finally get up and do something. He walked into the kitchen, placing his bowl into the sink. It was mail day, so he slipped on his slippers he kept by the door and made his way outside and to his mailbox. He opened the small door, pulling out the envelopes and sorting through them as he walked back inside. Most looked like trash, but there was one that caught his attention. The icon in the corner signified it was from his leasing office.

He stepped back inside, closing the door behind him and tossing the unimportant papers in the trash. He finally opened the one letter, unfolding the neatly tucked away paper, allowing his eyes to scan the words on the paper.

_ “Dear Mister Adrien Lee, _

_ We have written to inform you that your rent payment is overdue. If not paid by the below date, we will be forced to evict you. We are sorry to have to tell you this. Please pay the below balance by the specified date. Call us if you have any questions. _

_ Thank you.” _

Adrien collapsed onto the couch, the letter falling to the floor as he stared into the air. He was getting kicked out of his house, all because he couldn’t make rent. Part of him knew this was coming, as he couldn’t hold a full-time job and juggle his YouTube life well. He had no family to fall back on, as he had moved away from them to start his real life.

The realization that he would soon be homeless kicked in, tears welling up in his eyes as it did. He sniffled lightly, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand to try and force them away, There was a soft knock at his front door, followed by the jiggling and turning of his doorknob. Adrien glanced over at the opening door, feeling his heart sinking even lower.


	8. Chapter Eight

Adrien hesitated momentarily, staring down the figure in the doorway. It wasn’t long after before he shot to his room, pushing the door behind him and making a dive for under the bedsheets. He didn’t hear his door shut, nor did he hear any other noises than his own ragged breathing.

Wondering if the coast was clear, he raised his head and glanced over his shoulder, coming face to face with the figure from before. Adrien yelped sharply, rolling away from the figure and off the side of the bed, hitting the floor with a soft thud. Neither one made any move, the air become silent.

“Adrien?” The quiet voice cut through the silence as the boy on the floor pushed himself up. He glanced at the figure, taking a moment to realize who it was through his panic and almost collapsing back to the floor.

“C-Cry?” He squeaked out, extremely confused. Questions ran rampant through his head as he sat up on his knees, rubbing his eyes. They were dry, but his cheeks were still sticky with residue.

“Adrien, are you okay?” The masked gamer made his way around the bed, concern lacing his voice as he kneeled in front of the smaller boy.

“G-Go away.” Adrien stuttered out, trying his best to keep his tone sharp. He covered his face with his hands, wishing Cry would just leave him alone.

That, however, would not be the case.

“Adrien, please.” Cry grabbed hold of his wrists gently, pulling them away from his face. Even with the emotionless mask he wore, it was evident that he was truly concerned, and definitely wasn’t leaving any time soon. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

Adrien shook his head semi-violently, refusing to look back at Cry. His words from the previous night, along with the letter from this morning, bounced around in his head like a herd of horses.

Cry sighed, dropping his wrists, pushing his mask up just above his nose. The frown he wore was obvious now, and it cause Adrien to cringe away from him. Once again, the tears built up, and Adrien was starting to wonder why he was so emotional lately.

“Adrien, listen. If it was about last night…” Cry trailed off, hoping the other would come forward and admit to something. When Adrien still refused to look at him, Cry hooked his index finger underneath his chin and pulled his head back towards him. Adrien stared up at the white poker face mask, worry flashing in his eyes.

“Was it? When Red said something about you having feelings for someone… was it me?” Cry’s voice filled with concern. “Please tell me.”

A few more moments of staring at that emotionless mask passed before Adrien nodded, shifting his gaze downwards. He didn’t want to keep staring. It was getting awkward.

“Adrien…”

“Not only that,” Adrien snapped lightly, jerking himself away from the gamer. “I got a letter this morning. I’m being evicted from my apartment.”

“Oh no.” Cry breathed, his shoulders slumping slightly. “I’m so sorry.”

Adrien shrugged, turning away slightly. “I have nowhere to stay now.” He kept his eyes casted downwards.

After a long moment of silence, Cry finally spoke back up. “You can stay with me.” Adrien hadn’t noticed he moved, so when he looked up and saw Cry’s mask only a few inches away, he jolted away and started to fall back.

Cryaotic reached out, his arms wrapping around the smaller boy instinctively. Adrien grabbed onto his sleeves, his heart pounding as he stared up at the other. The mask stared back, unchanging as always, but Adrien could see a slight twitch of the gamer’s lips as he suddenly moved closer. In a fit of panic, Adrien’s hands moved to push against Cry’s chest, squirming slightly. “C-Cry! Hold on!”

That seemed to snap him out of whatever trance he had fallen in, a slight blush dusting what was visible of his cheeks. “Ah… Adrien…”


	9. Chapter Nine

Adrien stood in his apartment, staring at the now empty walls of his living room. The moments of earlier flashed through his mind as he glanced down the hallway, staring at where his bedroom door stood wide open.

_ “So…” The tenseness of the two boys hung thick in the air, neither really looking at each other. “Did you want to come with me?” _

_ Adrien glanced back over, noticing that Cry had pulled his mask back down. A slight pang of disappointment hit him as he stared. Cry stood up, holding a hand out to the still kneeling boy. _

_ “I don’t really want to impose.” Adrien responded with a frown, taking his hand hesitantly. The gamer pulled him up, allowing him to steady himself before letting go. _

_ “Where will you go, if you don’t?” Cry asked, tilting his head slightly as their arms dropped back down to their sides. Both wouldn’t admit it, but they had the same thoughts. They both wanted to become friends, and this was the best way to do it at the moment. _

_ “I…” Adrien stopped, taking a second to think about it. There really wasn’t anywhere to go. He’d be living on the streets. “I don’t have anywhere to go.” The smaller boy sighed, rubbing his arm awkwardly. “I guess I don’t have a choice, do I?” _

_ Cry shrugged in response, taking a glance around Adrien’s bedroom. “Do you want me to help you pack?” _

_ Adrien nodded slightly, pulling out his old boxes and suitcases from his closet. “Thank you, Cry.” _

As Cry carried out the last of the bags, he brushed against Adrien’s side as a way to show he was there for support. The tiny gamer took another look around, trying his best to get closure. He’d survived this long in this place. This was his home.

Not any longer.

Adrien sighed, picking up the last bag by his feet. He stopped in the doorway, keys in hand as he glanced over his shoulder. Finally shutting the door, he locked the door and left the key in the mailbox for the landlord. This was it.

Cry came up and took the last bag from him, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Are you ready?”

Taking his time to respond, Adrien finally gave a small sigh. “As ready as I’ll ever be.” He turned away from the house with a settling sense of sadness, following the masked gamer to his car. Cry opened the passenger side door, waiting until Adrien got in to shut it behind him. He placed the last bag in the trunk, shutting the door before climbing in the driver’s side. He stuck the key in the ignition, starting the car before glancing over at Adrien.

He was staring at the apartment, a slight disconnect feeling coming over him. Cry sighed softly, putting the car in drive and making way to his house.


	10. Chapter Ten

The drive to Cryaotic’s house seemed like hours to Adrien, although it only took a little over an hour tops. Neither one spoke, save for Cry trying to get him to laugh with his usual jokes. Normally Adrien would’ve laughed - or at least chuckled - but he had completely shut down due to the previous events.

Turning a corner, the pair quietly rolled into a driveway that lead to a single story house. Putting the car into park, Cry let the engine idle as he glanced over at the small boy in the passenger seat. Adrien was still staring out the window, eyes locked on something in the distance.

“Hey…” Cry placed a hand on Adrien’s shoulder, briefly causing him to snap out of his trance. “We’re here. Ready to go inside?”

Blue-speckled eyes glanced over the house in front of them, taking in the details of the house. It looked cozy at first glance. The cottage-styled house sat nestled in an array of trees, It was almost hidden, had you not known it was there in the first place. The siding was a snow white, with cherry brown shutters positioned outside of the windows. The front porch was big enough to hold a few chairs and a table with enough room to still get inside.

Upon no response from the small gamer, Cry cut the engine and opened his door. He made his way around the front of the car, opening the passenger side door before offering a hand to Adrien. The boy blinked a few times before glancing up at the masked man. It took him a minute to register that Cry was offering help. He took another minute before accepting the help, allowing him to pull him to his feet. Adrien shut the door behind him before following to the back of the car, where Cry opened the trunk door and lifted some of the boxes out.

“It’ll take a trip or two but soon we can get you settled in.” The mask Cry wore was now painted a ray of pastel colors, the source being the setting sun behind them. “It’s kind of late, so I’ll make dinner and then you can get some rest. We can start unpacking tomorrow.”

Adrien lifted a couple bags out of the back of the car, glancing back up at the house. Things were quiet as Cry gathered his haul, pulling back to look at the shorter boy. Adrien was staring at him, a look of confusion etched into his expression. “Why did you offer to take me in?”

The two stared at each other for a short period of time, neither moving nor making a sound. The question was one that had been on Adrien’s mind since Cry mentioned it the first time. Two boys, who just met, and one was offering to take the other in during a time of crisis, despite not knowing anything about the other.

“I don’t know.” Cry finally responded, stepping away from the car. He wished he could answer that better, but there wasn’t anything he could say at the moment. He really didn’t know; something just told him that he needed to do it.

Adrien continued to stare, seemingly uninterested in that answer. Regardless, he took it anyways. Any answer was better than no answer. Nodding slightly, Adrien followed the taller gamer to the door. Cry jingled his keys in the lock, opening the cherry brown door and stepping to the side, motioning for Adrien to go in. “After you.”

Nervously, the small gamer stepped into the small hallway at the entrance, immediately taking a look around. There were small windows above the door that allowed light to filter in. The inside was painted a light tan color, matching the dark oak flooring in contrast. There was a vanilla colored shag rug that lined the hallway floor, one end dirtied due to multiple shoes walking over it. A small table stood off to the side, housing a spot right in the sun for a blooming plant.

Cry stood behind him as he shut the door, raising an eyebrow as Adrien just stood there, admiring the hallway. “You know, there’s plenty more to gawk at than this.” He chuckled lightly, brushing past the smaller boy and motioning him to follow to the main room.

Adrien’s cheeks took on a dusty pink color as he ducked his head, following the masked man into the main room. The inside of the house was much bigger than it looked on the outside. The hallway opened up into a fairly large den, with a fireplace nestled in one corner of the room. It smelled of cinnamon and vanilla, small candles chased the shadows that dared to creep inside. A soft looking, dark chocolate colored couch and recliner set rested against the wall adjacent to the fireplace, standing out against the beige colored walls and tan, carpeted floor. There were a couple end tables that sat near the furniture, as well as a china cabinet that took up another wall. It looked antique.

Cry had set his stack of boxes down towards another hallway, glancing back to see if Adrien had followed. “It was a hand-me down.” He said after seeing where the smaller boy’s attention had gone. “My grandmother gave it to me when I moved. I don’t know why.”

Adrien looked back towards the masked man, blinking a few times. He never spoke much about his family. Then again, the only time Adrien had ever heard him was on his streams or his videos. This guy was known for his mysterious persona. Regardless, the shorter boy only gave a nod, following Cry to where he had stopped. Setting his boxes down, he followed Cry back out to the car.

They repeated the process until all of Adrien’s boxes were inside. Cry had left the house once more to shut the trunk and lock his car before coming back inside and locking up the house. By now, the sun had almost completely set, and the day’s events had finally started to settle themselves on Adrien’s shoulders. Cry noticed this, motioning for him to sit down.

“I’ll start dinner so we can eat, and then you can get some sleep. It looks like you need it.” There was a small smile in his voice as he motioned to the furniture before disappearing into the kitchen. Adrien took up a spot in the recliner, practically sinking into the chair itself. Not long after he did, he could feel his entire body dragged down with the weight of exhaustion.

The last thing he remembered was hearing Cry’s voice from the kitchen before sinking into a dark world of sleep.


End file.
